The Butterfly Effect
by Xejis
Summary: (Full story) Kurama gazed silently up at the pale human women holding him close. He would have sighed if he could. He had thought himself so smart, but he now recognized that he had been more delirious from pain than he realized. A human mother. Human parents, if that blond kicking up a fuss in the corner was his father. Who would have thought he'd fall so low?
1. Chapter 1

"In this life, we have to make many choices. Some are very important choices. Some are not. Many of our choices are between good and evil. The choices we make, however, determine to a large extent our happiness or our unhappiness, because we have to live with the consequences of our choices."

James E. Faust

Kurama didn't have a clear memory of his original mother. The demon world was never a kind place, but during his childhood, it had been in utter turmoil. The spirit world had once again stuck their noses where they didn't belong and were forcing demons back into the borders of the demon realm. All in the name of safety for the humans, though everyone knew the spirit realm didn't care much for the mortals themselves despite their fancy words.

The demons saw it for what it was; a direct attack on them in order to control and regulate them. Thus a long and bloody war broke out as demons tried to prevent their ultimate seclusion from the three worlds. However demons, although violent by nature, were never truly made for war. Organization was a weakness, one that cost them their freedom. The armies of the spirit realm descended and the demons were forced into their realm and kept there by a barrier.

Being stuck in a place by force, no matter how vast that place was, angered them into a frenzy. Even some of the more 'docile' of the demon species were stirring up trouble. There were battles left and right for scraps of land, food, females and general dominance. It was during this time that weakness was not tolerated in any way, shape, or form.

Needless to say, when one lone fox demon gave birth to a kit with hair and skin as pale as the moon she abandoned it immediately. Such coloring would only attract trouble within the greens and browns of the forest she called home. This was not a unique occurrence. After all, most fox demons had a plant affinity which was only useful for healing and hiding. They, unlike their non-magical counterparts in the human realm, were cowardly and selfish creatures who regularly ran abandoning their own kind to save themselves.

He was no exception.

However, he was strong unlike the rest of his weak-willed kind. He was smart. He survived where others would have died. Surrounded by the constant fear of death he watched. He learned. He was smaller and his coloring made him stand out too much to hide properly, so he learned to be fast, to be smart, and to be completely and utterly ruthless.

For a long time, he slipped through the cracks, stealing the bare minimum to live and avoiding battling. He perfected the art of bluffing and ran to avoid fights he knew he couldn't win. For a long time, he didn't think of anything more than living to see the next day. But, even as a child, he was greedy. He could have lived like that the rest of his life, but he wanted more. He wanted the kind of confidence he saw in the powerful demons.

He wanted the ability to cause others fear the way they did him.

So, he did what no other fox demon had considered. He used his plant affinity to fight. It was unconventional and difficult to control, but he had always been smart. He beat the more violent plant species into submission and experimented on different battle tactics with weak opponents. He developed his own fighting style through trial and error. After years of dedication, he managed to turn an affinity that had been used mostly for healing into a dangerous weapon. He made demons fear the subtle sway of the trees and the brush of falling leafs.

He gained the strength he had always envied and it pulled demons to his side, both the strong and the weak.

As his reputation grew, more and more demons flocked to his side. Some tried to defeat him to gain fame. Others tried to seduce him for bragging points and others still tried to make connections with him for their own protection. Kurama never knew his mother's face or her voice and though many had tried to claim him as their own after his rise to infamy, he never bothered caring. He may very well have killed his mother if she had been among the desperate female demons to try and use him as a shield by pulling on nonexistent family ties. He took great joy in beating those weaklings into the ground, after all, he had never resorted to such pathetic methods even as a young child with no power.

He didn't care about their pathetic lives.

He had grown up alone. Fought alone. Succeeded alone. It was his sheer will to live that pushed him through his childhood and it taught him complete self-reliance. Even after he formed his own group and rose higher in power and fame he never fully relied on any one of his bandits, much to the distaste of his second in command. Yomi would complain endlessly over Kurama's lack of trust. However, Kurama knew that any demon could and would stab you in the back as soon as you put an ounce of trust in them. Other people would only let you down in the end.

 _(Kuronue thought he was silly, but his death proved Kurama right.)_

The bat demon was probably the closest thing Kurama had to a friend, not that he would ever admit it. The annoying demon wasn't as strong as Kurama, but he clung to him like a limpet and wouldn't let go regardless of the many, many times Kurama attacked him or attempted to kill him. Despite not being particularly powerfully, the bat was tenacious. He was fast and he was smart.

And stubborn.

He was very, very stubborn.

He never officially joined Kurama's group but danced through their camp like he owned the place amusing everyone with his antics, much to the ire of Yomi. His second in command complained and whined over Kurama's lack of action almost as much has he complained about his lack of trust.

When Kurama organized Yomi's murder and left his group to fend for themselves, the bat demon followed him. Clinging to him even stronger despite Kurama's threats to his life on a regular basis.

 _("You'd do something stupid if I left you alone.")_

He was right.

Kurama bit off more than he could chew when he slipped into the spirit realm to wreak some havoc after Kuronue's death. In his denial over his own grief, he pushed himself to the limit hoping to reach higher infamy by being the first to steal from the Spirit King himself. He nearly paid the ultimate price for fame and a mere babble he would grow bored of in a few years' time.

Through the delirious haze of pain, he had thought himself a genius when he came upon the pregnant woman after he had fled to the human realm in hopes of escaping his pursuers and would be executioners. The child within her womb was already dead. The soul was gone. Being in spirit form himself and on the precipice of death, he was able to slip right into the empty body. The last of his power strengthened the woman enough to allow his birth at a healthy time for his newly human body.

Eminent death avoided and sudden mortality achieved, he fell into a much-needed sleep for the remainder of pregnancy not even giving himself a chance to fully understand what he just did to himself.

Kurama gazed silently up at the pale human women holding him close. He would have sighed if he could. He had thought himself so smart, but he now recognized that he had been more delirious from pain than he realized. A human mother. Human parents, if that blond kicking up a fuss in the corner was his father.

Who would have thought he'd fall so low?

Yomi would be sneering at him if he knew. Kuronue, on the other hand, would most likely start laughing hysterically.

However, he did what he had to in order to survive. Like he had always done. As much as he was disgusted by his current state he was also proud that he managed to survive what others, even the highest ranking demons, would consider a death sentence. No one had escaped the Spirit World's Elite Soldiers, until now.

Then again, it wasn't as though anyone would know about it until he managed to get his full powers back and figure out a way to shed this mortal body.

He blinked slowly as the nurse fussed over him; worried over his silence.

His new mother ignored the other woman as she continued to hold him tightly, despite her obvious exhaustion. The woman was smiling so brightly while cooing breathlessly. He could hear his new human father making a fool of himself in the background, though he could only catch snippets of the conversation. Between his weak newborn senses and his lack of understanding of the language he could comprehend very little. He turned his eye toward his new 'mother' as she sighed and opened her mouth to speak.

"You'll be Shuichi. Sawada Shuichi."

It was hell.

Though only a few days had passed he was already sick of his new reality. His limited vision and mobility enraged him. The humans who only seemed able to fuss and coo disgusted him. He wished he could expressed his utter disdain for these weak mortals, but alas he couldn't speak and was too proud to scream at them with his shrill infant voice.

He settled for glaring, as much as a baby could, at everything and everyone.

Unfortunately, even that did not stop the cooing and coddling he was subjected to by various friends and associates of the Sawada family. Kurama filed them all under unobservant idiots. His 'parents' being at the top of the list. Eventually, thankfully, his strange behavior did cut through the euphoria of new parenthood.

His human 'father' was the first to noticed or at the very least the first to react to his 'son's' odd behavior. Kurama took vindictive pleasure in the man's confusion and fear. It started off as quick glances and a hesitance to hold him. Fear slowly seeped into the confusion as the man began to realize that his 'son' was more aware than a baby had any right to be. Kurama assumed that he would snap at some point. Or at least, he hoped the man would snap at some point if only to give him some joy in this endless hell.

Kurama didn't, however, expect to be taken silently to an unknown place where he was examined and prodded by some rather strange people, for humans that is. He was not especially fond of the elderly human who tapped him lightly with a strange orange flame.

What shocked him to the core, however, was the appearance of another child. A baby that had more control and power than should be possible for such a small body. Kurama didn't know what he was, but envy coursed through him violently whenever the other child entered his line of sight.

He didn't catch much of the conversation due to his limited senses and lack of understand of their language, which was different than the one his 'parents' spoke to each other with, but they seemed to decide that he was, in fact, the idiot blonde's 'son' and not an imposter of all things. He would have smirked if he could. He was the idiots' child by blood, but his soul was another matter. Their limited human knowledge and power couldn't recognize the signs. They focused too much on their sciences and technology. Had they brought in a more spiritually aware human, he would have been slightly worried given his vulnerable state, but the humans had proven themselves fools once again.

He was returned to his 'mother' and his 'father' left for work a week later, unable to look at Kurama for more than a few seconds. He would have laughed if it didn't come out as a tiny gurgle rather than the derogatory sound he aimed for.

Left alone with the woman he learned very quickly that she had noticed his difference, however, unlike her husband she seemed to fully accept it. It was frustrating and confusing. She seemed to fully realize his hatred for being treated like the infant he was and from that point on the cooing and snuggling stopped completely. Along with the baby talk, toys and obnoxious clothing.

Instead, she spoke and generally treated him like an adult. She still took care of him like the infant he was, but the core interactions were worlds different. His every sign of annoyance and hatred was met with blinding smiles and sparkly eyes, while his discomforts were addressed as soon as he expressed them.

It was very annoying.

He wanted her to get angry or upset. He wanted her to act like his 'father' did when he began to notice his differences. He wanted her to fear him and treat him with the respect he deserved. But, most of all, he simply wanted her to leave him alone.

But she didn't.

There was a softness in her gaze when she looked at him. A gentleness in her touch.

She loved him dearly even after recognizing he wasn't normal.

It was very frustrating.

It was confusing.

When he had more control of his movements he would hit her whenever she came close enough. When he gain more strength, he would throw things at her. He turned up his nose at every little thing she bought for him. Showing his disdain for her in his acid green eyes. He expected her to break.

She never did.

She continued to smile.

She continued to love him absolutely.

It was tiresome.

His only amusement came from his 'fathers' visits and the human's attempts at ignoring him. The man seemed to be completely terrified of him.

Eventually, he grew tired of their interactions and started ignoring her completely. Instead, he began working on trying to adjust to a human body with human needs. Despite his numerous attempts, he could not reach the level of mobility the other infant had and that irritated him to no end.

Nearly two years passed without much improvement.

Then his annoying human 'mother' got pregnant again. The amount of fawning and general attention his 'father' gave her was entertaining at first, but very quickly became tiresome. Especially after his realization that he would have to deal with another human on a regular basis. A human child.

He cursed his abysmal luck.

* * *

 **Ok, so here's the first chapter of the full story. Basically, for this chapter and the next one I used the drabbles as a base and expanded from there, but that format will change starting chapter 3 when I get into the stuff the drabble hasn't touched just yet.** **As much as I love the drabble, I wanted to challenge myself with a full story. I also knew some of you guys wanted more content and a more steady timeline, instead of snippets of characters and stories jumbled up like the drabble. So! Here is my solution. I'll still continue to drabble, but I'm also going to work on this.**

 **As far as this chapter goes, I think I made Yomi a bit too irritating, but I guess this is from Kurama's pov, so it's alright. I like him as a character and I think it's especially interesting how he went from an angry, irrational guy to a suave and thoughtful leader. Maybe, I'll write a story on that progression at a later date. I also messed up the timeline a bit, though that was on purpose. Technically Kurama met Kuronue after he left his group, but I wanted to introduce him earlier. Thought, it fit a little better for this story.**

 **Please review and let me know what you guys think! The second chapter will be up later today after I work on this annoying section I can't seem to get right.**


	2. Chapter 2

"The acknowledgment of our weakness is the first step in repairing our loss."

~ **Thomas a Kempis**

Kurama didn't like the wrinkly, little mess of an infant everyone called his brother. The fact that the child's birth led to the most infuriating week of his life most likely added to his dislike. Though, even if he hadn't had to sit in a hospital waiting room with nurses and the elderly neighbor, from across the street, mothering him for seven hours as his 'mother' gave birth he would have still disliked the child greatly.

Of course the human simply had to be born early. Which led to both the mother and infant remaining in the hospital for longer than normal. Which led to Kurama being stuck with that elderly neighbor he never bothered to learn the name of, because his father was still caught up in his work, wherever that was, and thus was unable to take care of Kurama. Not that he would have anyway, but Kurama ignored that fact while he grumbled and complained within the safety of his own mind.

The previously mention elderly neighbor was a very strait-laced traditionalist sort and apparently got it in her head that his 'mother' wasn't as faithful as she appeared. As funny as it was at first it very quickly became rather annoying to listening to her fluttering between cooing at him and muttering her disappointment at his 'mother'. Between his red hair and bright green eyes he didn't quite blame her for making assumptions, but her constant spew of derogatory comments became as irritating as her insistence on treating him like the almost two year old he technically was.

At least his weak and decidedly strange human 'mother' was observant enough to realize how much he hated such treatment.

Kurama was almost happy when he was finally returned to his 'mother' and new 'brother'.

That almost happiness was immediately shattered the first night the new occupant of the house started screaming routinely every night. Needless to say, he was not amused from that point forward.

Things only got worse when his 'father' finally decided to make an appearance.

His constant attempts to seclude him were as pathetic as they were exasperating. Kurama became even more surly and retreated to his room as often as he could in order to work silently on both his motor skills and harnessing his demonic energy. Both of which were severely lacking.

Time passed and his 'father' left, allowing their household to fold back into its normal routine. He started showing up for meals at the table again, despite his utter disgust over the new infants eating habits. He knew that despite being the same position he had never been that messy. All of his 'mothers' insistence on him spending time with his 'brother' were ignored or turned down immediately.

It was nearly a year after the birth of his loud and messy little 'brother' that something completely out of the ordinary occurred.

For some reason, Kurama would never be able to fully understand, his 'brother', Tsunayoshi, had decided he, Kurama, was the best thing in the world. Due to this strange decision, he would somehow always manage to gravitate towards Kurama whenever he was in the room. Kurama simply ignored the odd human child as much as he could and continued with his own activities. After all, the child was too young for his subtle manipulations to work and frankly too weak to be of use anyway.

Unfortunately, while Tsuna was still trying to understand how legs worked he managed to knock over a full glass of water, sitting innocently on the coffee table, onto his older brother and the book he was reading at the moment. Kurama's anger was fierce as he turned to the pathetic mess of a human child with his small fist raised...

Only for Nana to jump in snatching Tsuna off of the floor, away from her eldest child's reach.

They started at each other for a brief moment before Nana opened her mouth and lectured Kurama for the first time. Kurama could only stare in shock as the woman shouted and pleaded tears in her eyes. She spoke of family and brotherhood. How each should be treated. She told him he could hate her and hit her all he wanted, but _please, please don't hurt Tsuna_. She clutched the babe to her chest as her voice cracked as if to trying to protect the child.

Her breakdown didn't last long before she grimaced and walked out of the room. Kurama could hear her shushing the crying Tsuna and putting him down for a nap before she walked back into the room tears still in her eyes.

She sat down on the floor next to his still wet form and pulled him into her arms for the first time in years. She sat there rocking back in forth as she cried and talked.

She told him about her childhood. About coldness that seemed to seep into every centimeter of the old mansion. She told him how she had tried so hard to gain her parents attention, but they were always busy and had no time for the clumsy, naive girl they called their daughter. She couldn't do anything right. She wasn't smart and didn't have any skill in business.

She told him how she ran away from home and lived in the ghettos for a while, barely scraping by with her lack of knowledge of how the real world worked.

She told him about meeting his 'father'. How he had helped her and gave her confidence in herself. How she fell so deeply in love with him.

Then she talked about how happy she was when she realized she was pregnant with him. She told him about her promise to herself. How she would be the best parent she could. She would accept her children as they were. The way her parents never had. She explained how scared she was when she thought she'd lost him and her utter joy when he was born.

She apologized over and over again for yelling at him and all of her self-perceived faults and flaws as a mother.

Kurama simply sat there tense and confused through-out this sudden break in normalcy. He listened quietly to the woman's words and didn't push her away even though her tears dripped into his hair.

When she had run out of words she gave him a shaky smile and loosened her grip. She picked him up and got him cleaned up before tucking him in for a nap of his own. For the first time, he simply went to sleep without a fuss.

He dreamt of the warmth he had felt on the verge of death. Wandering the human realm without a goal or a purpose other than to survive, somehow. He dreamt about the gentle soul of his mother brushing with his own damaged one chasing away the pain and the fear.

He told himself later that he didn't protest any of her words or actions because he was in shock over her strange behavior.

He completely ignored the dream.

He didn't have any excuses prepared for that.

Things went back to normal the next day. His 'brother' with his tiny attention span seemed to forget all about yesterday's incident and continued with his odd hero worship of Kurama. While his 'mother' seemed to have resolved not to mention or even vaguely allude to her break down and instead acted like nothing was wrong and she didn't change Kurama entire perception of her.

Kurama played along, but he kept an eye on the women trying to figure out how to view her in light of yesterday's events. He had never considered her reason for treated him the way she did. He knew it was out of the ordinary considering his 'fathers' reaction to his attitude, but he never put much thought into her resolve to love him unconditionally.

It was irritating.

It was confusing.

Humans were annoying and weak. That's what he had always thought of them. Since he had been born after the barrier was created, he had never meet any before this point in his life, but that didn't mean he was uninformed. He had known that they were weak _(and they were, damn it, his own useless body proved that)_ , he had known that they lacked magic or really any sort-of power outside of a certain few with enough spirit energy to see and exercise ghosts.

He knew…

He looked at the book in his hand. He had wondered what advancements the humans had made in their medical field and found a book on Medical and Biological Engineering. He barely understood a portion of the book due to the extensive use of medical and scientific terminology, but he puzzled through it with the use of a dictionary.

Could a truly weak specifies develops ideas like these?

They lacked the physical strength of demons, but hadn't he learned a long time ago that the mind was just as powerful?

 _(He had been a weak little thing once that had to rely on his wits and mind to survive.)_

Despite their lack of magic, humans had continued to expand and develop through other areas. He had seen the strange vehicles they used on the streets and the technology they used to communicate with one another over long distances. His 'mother' regularly use technology he had no concept or understanding of in the kitchen to create meals.

He was starting to see how little he knew of these humans.

 _(It was irritating, to be so uninformed.)_

He glanced at the little human child sitting next to him playing with his toy action hero, then he looked over at the woman still hovering at the entrance to the living room. She smiled brightly when she saw him looking at her.

 _(Could he really call her weak after all he put her through?)_

He felt his eye twitch slightly when the brat leaned on him and yawned widely, but didn't move.

Humans were…strange.

He needed to learn more.

If he continued to let the child lean on him for the remainder of the day, no one said anything.

 _(Though the woman looked especially happy during dinner and had cooked his favorite dishes.)_

This calm remained in place for several weeks after the woman's initial breakdown. Kurama continued to ignore both the woman and child, but he didn't go out of his way to be antagonistic like he had before. Instead, he focused on learning more about the humans their advancements, even if he struggled to understand some of their terminology.

 _(In the back of his mind he hoped things would remain this way, but apparently his abysmal luck had to rear its ugly head once more.)_

This peace was broken by the child, who in the mists of a tantrum preceded to catch on fire. Kurama had leapt to his feet in a moment and rushed over to the child, but had found the boy completely untouched and seemingly unaware of the flames surrounding him.

The boy stared at him with wide eyes, apparently forgetting his tantrum, before slowly smiling and giggling as he was prone to do when he caught sight of Kurama. The flames disappeared with a single trace. He patted the child's head awkwardly and went back to his book as he tried to get fast beating heart under control.

Apparently, he was completely wrong about humans not having power.

In the wake of his frantic information gathering after his brothers initial flame incident, Kurama had already pieced together that his father was not honest about his job. In fact, Kurama had a sneaking suspicion that the unknown job in question was illegal in some way. It didn't really matter to him, but he knew it had something to do with the flames his brother sometimes released. He remembered that the man had brought him to strange people after his birth and a particular older human had touched his forehead with the same color flames his 'brother' released. His mother had decided to keep him home instead of sending him off to a daycare or kindergarten. How she managed that, he wasn't quite sure, but he was grudgingly grateful for that. He wasn't sure if he was ready to be surrounded by other human brats.

Tsuna was enough trouble, especially since lately those strange flames showed up every time he was upset or overly excited. Their mother didn't seem to see it and it didn't burn Tsuna or even himself, so he wasn't overly worried for his brother's life. It was still disconcerting, however, since he had absolutely no knowledge of these powers. He had heard some humans had powerful spiritual abilities, but he had never heard mention of flame-like abilities.

Unfortunately, with the limited resourced he had at his disposal he couldn't find the answer to either either his father's job nor Tsuna's new ability.

That was until the answered walked strait through his door one afternoon a few weeks after Tsuna's fifth birthday.

Kurama eyed the old man suspiciously from his position in front of Tsuna. The boy had taken to hiding behind him whenever they had strangers over. Currently, the elder was smiling sheepishly and apologizing for canceling his visit last spring. Iemitsu had his arm around his mother's waist as she soaked up his sob story without a hint of doubt leaking into her composure.

Apparently, the old human was Iemitsu's boss.

Kurama was less than impressed with the vague descriptions of their work, though he did mention he was from Italy. He filed that information away for later examination as the adults in the room finally turned their gazes on the two children. His 'father' gushed over how cute Tsuna was and how much he had grown while make several unsuccessful attempted to remove him from behind Kurama. Tsuna clutched the back of his shirt and Kurama reached back smoothly to run his hands through the boy's soft hair. The familiar gesture never failed to calm the frazzled child, though he doubted Iemistu bothered to learn that fact.

Tsuna finally calmed down enough to allow himself to be separated from Kurama and swept up into his father's arms. Kurama twitched minutely not trust the man one bit as he threw Tsuna in the air and caught him, however, he was distracted by the older human kneeling down in front of him.

"Hello there Shuichi-kun. My name is Timoteo. I'm your father's boss."

Kurama eyes him for a moment trying to decide what approached he'd use, before deciding naïve child with a bit too much perception would do nicely.

"Nice to meet you Timoteo-san. You're a con-contruc-construction boss?" He tilted his head and widened his eyes in a way he knew most adults couldn't resist while clutching the front of his shirt to portray nervousness.

For a brief moment, the man's eyes narrowed and Kurama's breathe caught in his throat at the amount of danger presented in those deceivingly average brown eyes. Then the man smiled just as calmly as before while nodding his head.

"Why, yes, I am. Your father sent you a post card from one of our constructions on the North Pole, right?"

"Oh yes! The penguins were adorable!" His mother gushed while giggling like a school girl.

Kurama frowned inwardly. Silently giving the human points for being able to spout that ridiculous lie without a single twitch.

The rest of the visit was less informative than he would have hope. It seemed the two men had made an agreement before hand not to talk about their work at all except for in, what Kurama assumed was, Italian. He would sit in the room or in the next one busying himself with normal children activities.

However, they never slipped up and the old man tended to shoot him amused looks.

All he could do was memorize certain words or phrases they repeated or seemed important. After they left, he planned to learn Italian for easier eavesdropping in the future. His mother wouldn't question it. She never even looked remotely curious as to why he would want certain books. High-level Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Botany. Anything he was vaguely interested in learning to further his education in the human advancements and technology. He would grab himself or point to a book and his mother would buy it for him.

Well, there was that one time when he tried testing her patience with the porn magazine…

Kurama shook his head and returned his focus to the little game of ball he and his brother were playing while the adults sat watching and chatting off to the side. He watched absentmindedly as his mother went to get refreshments while keeping an eye on his little brother's progress in getting the ball back from a bush.

He turned and smiled at Tsuna when he finally got it and came trotting back, but was unable to stop the boy from tripping over his own feet. He sighed and went over to him as his 'father' laughed loudly. He helped him up noting the wobbly lip and tear filled eyes, but no obvious injuries.

"It's okay Tsuna." He said as he patted the boys head. "You're not hurt, you'll be fine."

He nearly cursed when the boy looked over at their still laughing 'father' and the wobble became more pronounced.

Tsuna burst into tears. Making Kurama wince. He was never sure how to deal with the boy when he cried. After the first flame incident, he put more effect into getting to know the child, but he was still unsure of how to deal with him, having no experience with children. Much less, children that randomly burst into flames when they cried.

Of course, the strange flames had to make an appearance today. He reached out for his brother to try and calmed him down like normal, usually, a few pats on the head did the job when he was yanked away suddenly. He nearly scowled at his 'father's' unwanted involvement and did scowl at the old human when he tried to get close to Tsuna.

He wasn't sure what the strange flame on the end of the old human finger would do, but he wouldn't let him touch his brother. He sunk his small baby teeth in Iemitsu's arm and quickly shuffled himself between Tsuna and the two adults.

"Shuichi!"

"Shuichi-kun, please stand aside. I'm just trying to calm little Tsuna down. You don't like seeing your brother cry, right?"

"Tsuna is fine." He insisted. Trying to make his voice sound like a petulant child.

Turning to his brother as if proving a point he ran his hands through his hair and murmured softly to him. Like usual the flames merely tickled his skin leaving behind a strange warmth, but nothing more as they faded away. He wrapped a protective arm around the boy as he turned to the narrowed eyed adults.

"See, Tsuna is fine."

His mother chose that moment to reappear cutting through all of the building tension like a breath of fresh air. Kurama tightened his griped on Tsuna's shoulders making the boy look at him funny. He looked at his snot cover face for a moment before shaking his head and dragging him inside to get cleaned up.

The old man left the next day, but not before trying to do that strange flame thing several times. Kurama stopped him each time, sometimes even with the help of his mother. There was no way her timely appearances were entirely coincidences.

This only seemed to upset Iemistu terribly, but Timoteo seemed to find it amusing after the first couple of times.

His 'father' left a few days later allowing everything to return to normal.

Or at least, that's what Kurama first assumed.

Kurama hadn't been paying attention. Something he would always regret whenever he thought of that moment later in life no matter how many time his mother claimed it wasn't his fault.

They were walking home from the grocery store.

Tsuna was holding their mother's hand while Kurama walked a few steps in front of them. It was cold and he wanted to be inside, instead of out in the snow.

He never did like winter.

The car screeched loudly as it jerked to a stop in front of them.

Reaching for his demonic power and coming up short…

Kurama froze.

That's what cost him in the end.

The man that jumped out of the car was human, Kurama noted vaguely as he watched him smirk and preen. He was saying something in what Kurama identified as Italian, but he spoke too quickly for him to catch any of the basic words he had started learning. Their lack of understanding and therefore lack of response seemed to irritate the man.

A gun made an appearance.

He waved it around just most likely trying to intimidate them. When they still didn't answer what must have been questions he grew angry.

The man aimed threateningly at Kurama, but he wasn't able to do anything about it.

He wasn't even able to make a noise when his mother yanked him behind her and took the shot for him.

From that point on everything seemed to move in fast motion.

The man hadn't been subtle at all, despite the snow the street had been semi-busy and someone had called the police. The police in Namimori had always been quick. It probably had to do with the fact that a Hibari had always been Chief of Police and that family was simply scary.

Kurama watched, vaguely aware of his brother clutching his arm tightly, as an ambulance arrived on the scene.

It took his mother away.

Her pale face twisted in pain.

An Officer was talking softly to them.

Blankets were wrapped around them as they were led to the officer's vehicle and taken to the hospital.

Even after they had been sitting with the officer in the hospital waiting room, all Kurama could see was the blood stained snow.

He gritted his teeth as he wrapped his arms around his trembling brother.

A psychiatrist had tried to talk to them earlier, but Kurama hadn't trusted his acting skills while his mind had been in such turmoil, so he had ignored her until she left. Tsuna simply followed his lead, like he did with most things pertaining to strangers.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that before a nurse finally made an appearance and informed the officer that their mother was now stable and they could visit her.

They practically stepped on the woman's shoes as she led them through the winding hallways to their mother's current room. It really couldn't be called a room Kurama noted dully as Tsuna scrambled toward the bed tears and snot streaming down his face when he caught sight of his mother. It was tiny and there wasn't even a door, just a curtain. He supposed she'd probably get a real room later, but there was no telling when that would occur.

He shifted awkwardly to a corner while the nurse helped Tsuna curled up next to their mother on the bed. She was smiled gently and telling Tsuna to be 'really careful because his mommy was very hurt and couldn't move her arm very well'.

His mother cooed softly over Tsuna telling him she was okay and not to worry.

She was still very pale.

Her eyes were slightly tight around the edges from pain.

Her voice wavered a little bit as she tried to answer some of the officer's questions before the man decided to let her rest and gave her his name and phone number for a later meeting. Both the man and the nurse glanced at him as they left, but neither said anything.

His mother murmured comforting words to Tsuna as he drifted off to sleep.

Kurama flinched and looked away when her eyes turned to him.

"Come over here, Shuichi." She said softly. "Give your Mama a hug."

He didn't hesitate to climb onto the bed, the opposite side of Tsuna, but then paused in uncertainty. His mother laughed softly and stiffly moved her hand to cup his head and pull him to her chest.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She whispered as Kurama laid there stiffly. "I was so afraid I was going to lose you."

He didn't say anything.

He wasn't sure what to say.

But he did curl his small hands into the fabric of her hospital gown and hid his face into her stomach.

He stayed like that until her soft breathing finally lulled him into unconsciousness.

 _Me too._

* * *

 **So, like before the base of this chapter is several of the drabbles, but I added more on top of and in-between them. Next chapter will be completely new. I'm thinking it'll be the start of school for Kurama, meeting Hibari, meeting Hiei and what not. I might add some conflict since it's a bit lacking at the moment, whether it'll be the demon Kurama and Hiei first fought in the manga or something else with Hibari, I'm not sure as of yet. I still need to iron out an outline for this story.**

 **Anyway, I'm aiming for Friday for the next update. I'll probably have a couple more drabbles done before or by then as well.**

 **Review and let me know what you guys think! It helps a lot to get input about what you guys think, whether you like it or think it could have gone differently. Any reviews make me happy, lol, I'm easy to please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Whooo, It's been a while. He's a long chapter.**

* * *

"The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares. Instead, friendship is grounded in a feeling that you know exactly who will be there for you when you need something, no matter what or when."

~ Simon Sinek

* * *

It was April and he was now required to enter elementary school since he had turned six years old last December.

He wasn't exactly pleased.

 _(He simply had to hold out till his tenth year in the human realm. Then he could return.)_

His hair did not match the yellow of his new uniform jacket and he didn't want to deal with human children all day. He glanced down at the sticky hand clutching his ungodly bright jacket. He already had to deal with his little human brother at home. He didn't want to deal with twenty of them in a classroom along with a teacher who would treat him like the child he technically was.

His sour attitude, of course, did not prevent his mother from excitedly taking pictures in the living room and on their way to Namimori elementary school. She apparently found it adorable.

The moment Kurama stepped onto the campus at Namimori elementary he knew he would hate it. Or more accurately, he would hate the children he would have to interact with on a regular basis. He tried to keep a smile on his face for his mother's sake, but he knew it must have been strained.

He kept their goodbyes to a minimum. Allowing his mother to cling to him briefly and take a couple more pictures before trying to go to the seat the teacher was directly him too. Tsunayoshi, as usual, didn't take well to the idea of separation and started bawling. No amount of platitudes and baby talk from their mother would convince the boy to stop.

He very nearly simply walked away and ignored the issue, but…

 _(The bandages were gone, but the scars remained. As attention turned to them over his human brother's antics, he could see the whispered comments and glances.)_

He let out a soft sigh.

"Tsuna." Watery brown eyes blinked up at him. "I'll come home."

"Pomis?" He held up a sticky pinky and sniffed loudly.

"Promise." Kurama enunciated the word and tapped his own pinky briefly against Tsunayoshi's.

He was able to slide into his seat right before the teacher started corralling the other children still lingering among their mother's skirts.

Kurama expected a lot of things out of this whole affair. He expected frustration, annoyance, persistent little human children, and general shame that he had to put up with the indignity of human childhood. What he didn't expect, was the human child sitting next to him. The boy was average looking for a human, but there was something about his eyes or maybe the way he held himself that put him at odds with the other children.

There was something feral, animalistic, and almost demonic about the boy.

He had heard of some demons creating some offspring with humans. Perhaps this boy was a descendent of such a coupling? He would likely never know unless the boy activated his demonic blood in some way.

Perhaps the boy was nothing more than a normal human and Kurama was simply deluded by his own boredom.

Regardless, it was fun to tease the other boy.

Interrupting and ducking away from the fight the other boy obviously wanted through a variety of means was an amusing distraction from the mundane human lifestyle. It brought back some fond memories of his younger days. Slipping between cracks and teasing frustrated opponents with his sly trickery.

 _(Kuronue also loved that sort of dynamic. The trickery and the taunting. Teasing one's prey into a false sense of security before striking the killing blow. Yomi, on the other hand, never understood. It was one of their many disagreements. He reveled in crushing his opponents with brute force rather than wit and strategy. He had always been strong, so he didn't truly understand the need for such trickery. It was his undoing in the end.)_

Not that he planned on killing this human child. There wasn't much point in such an action and he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Instead, he teased and taunted for his own amusement.

When the boy tried to corner him at recess, Kurama would cling to the skirts of the teacher. When the boy arrived early to try and corner him before school, he hid away in the branches of a tree until it was almost time for class. He led him on a merry chase through the neighborhood after school, before slipping out of sight and heading home, untouched. When the violent little human looked like he was about ready to just give up, Kurama would toss a smirk his way and ignite the fire once more.

It was fun for a little while, anyway.

 _(The human was getting closer and closer to following him home and he didn't want to have to deal with the aftermath if the violent little human managed to get it in his head to attack his human family. Not only that but as the days past he could almost see something burning in the boy's eyes. Something different, something powerful. A spark that was very close to becoming flames. If he truly was a descendent of a demon and he activated his demonic powers, then Kurama didn't want to be there when the Spirit Realm intervened to investigate.)_

He told himself that he was getting bored and he allowed the boy to corner him. It harder than he expected to shift and curl around the blows to minimize the damage as much as possible.

 _(Another frustrating aspect of being a human child.)_

But, he did what he could and strove to push himself further in training his body as well as attempting to train his demonic powers. The boy walked away, undoubtedly feeling superior and Kurama fell into a routine of ignoring the boy. If his attention turned to him once more, Kurama would put on his best subservient face until he moved onto a different target.

It was embarrassing and frankly a little frustrating to act weak, but he didn't want to draw attention. He didn't want the Spirit Realm to come calling should Kurama accidentally get a possible demon decedent to activate his powers through sheer irritation over trying to fight an elusive opponent. That would be even more embarrassing.

So, he bowed his head. He put on a mask, his own little play for the humans.

Shuichi Sawada quiet and reserved. He didn't hang out with the other kids because he was shy. A mama's boy, the adults whispered with fond smiles playing at their lips. A sissy who didn't like fighting, the boys at his school sneered. Dreamy and sweet, the girls whispered behind their hands with their cheeks tinged red.

The only way he allowed himself to stand out was through his intelligent.

 _(He could pretend to be weak, but he refused to be seen as a fool.)_

It was frustrating. He seethed at the sheer insult of the whole situation.

But, he didn't leave.

When he had the chance, on his tenth year in the human realm, he decided to stay.

 _(For a long time, he refused to acknowledge why. Why would he, Yoko Kurama, make such a foolish decision. Why would he stay with the humans he despised. But, in the end, he knew why. He knew and he couldn't deny it any longer.)_

It wasn't as difficult to continue his act after that. Faking smiles for the world was not hard, not when he could come home and smile more genuinely.

 _(Home. It was a strange thing to think about for someone who had wandered from place to place his whole life. Yet, somehow that normal house, in a normal human neighborhood, with human's who welcomed him and called him family. Yes, that had become home.)_

Time passed slowly.

While there were a few strange characters here and there, very little happened in Namimori. He had to put a few minor demons in their place here and there. But, most of his days were spent smiling and politely edging out of conversations with the humans.

"Shuichi-nii?"

 _(It was admittedly boring.)_

Kurama tilted his head and sniped a rose from the bush with practiced hands. His garden was truly a wonder to behold. The neighbor women chatted endlessly about it. Begging him for advice and promising to pay him if he helped with their own yards.

 _(Incredibly mundane.)_

"Shuichi-nii…" He glanced back at the pouting eleven-year-old. "You promised."

A small smile touched his lips.

"I suppose I did."

 _(And yet…)_

He twirled the rose in his hand idly for a moment, the boy was practically bouncing on his feet with impatience. He hid a smirk behind the soft red petals.

"Well, we should head over to the park then, before it gets too dark."

 _(He chose this. He made this decision on the night of his tenth birthday. He could have left. Could be back to his old self. And yet…)_

"Be careful dears!" His mother called from the kitchen as they passed by. "And don't be late for dinner!"

"We'll be fine mother." He called back as he put on his shoes and was practically dragged out the door by Tsuna.

He took the smaller boys hand in his own and led them down the road at a moderate pace. Tsuna skipped beside him, chattering away about one thing or another. Kurama let him ramble as his own thoughts drifted.

There had been another disappearance today. A high school girl. Left a friends house and never made it home. She was the third. The first two were a couple. Last seen walking home from dinner at the Yamamoto Sushi restaurant. No bodies had been found and most of the residents of Namimori weren't all that worried.

 _(But Kurama had felt a change in the air. Something was wrong.)_

He stretched out his senses, noting the higher level of demonic energy in the air.

"Is middle school scary?"

Kurama blinked and glanced down at the boy. "Where did this come from?"

Tsuna blinked and glanced away. "W-well, there's a girl in my class who has a brother in middle school too. He's in his second year. She said that he got beaten up the other day."

Kurama suppressed a grimace.

 _(He had little doubt over who was behind that incident. Hibari was bad in elementary, but now that they had entered middle school the boy had become vicious. Like a beast testing the limits of his new territory. Thus far, no one had the guts to stop him.)_

"I just...I was worried that you'd get hurt too."

He almost didn't catch the soft comment while lost in his own musings over the violent human. A soft smile touched his lips and he ruffled the boy's hair gently before taking his hand once more.

"Your big brother is stronger than he looks. So, don't fret, ok?" He tilted his head to the side and offered a sly smile. "I'll take care of any trouble."

Tsuna giggled. "I believe you."

 _(There was a touch of orange to those brown eyes and that uncanny understanding. It was fascinating really.)_

Kurama nodded and they continued on toward the park.

They had barely entered the park before he felt it. As he watched Tsuna dart towards the playground equipment there was a flash of rage and a gust of wind as his opponent threw themselves toward him. He reacted on instinct. The rose he had slipped into his pocket before they left the house changed in an instant and curled itself around his assailant's neck.

 _(He had trained and trained after that vile incident several years ago. He refused to freeze like that again in the face of danger whether human or supernatural. Though mostly hidden beneath her clothing, he knew the scar from that day remained. The day his mother nearly threw her life away to save his.)_

The demons sword pointed at his chest, but they both knew that Kurama had the upper hand in this situation. His expression didn't change when the demon let out a hoarse laugh. He merely tightened his whip as a warning.

 _(He was curious; however, as to why a more powerful demon like this was lingering in the human realm. Worry nagged at the back of his mind at the threat it presented to his family.)_

Neither moved for a long moment. Slowly, deliberately, the demon looked down at the weapon that held him captive. Kurama winced internally.

 _(He had moved instinctively and used his most prized weapon. A weapon that was rather distinctive. He should have used a blade of grass instead…)_

"So, the great Yoko Kurama has lowered himself to not only a human body but also working for Yatsude?"

Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"Yatsude?"

He had heard of the demon. He made sure to keep up with the current events in the supernatural world as much as he could when his informants were weak spirits and demons he crushed into submission. What he had heard of the demon was not pretty. If he was in town…

Kurama frown.

"I do not work for or with him. Tell me, is he here? In Namimori?"

When the demon didn't answer immediately he tightened the whip in warning until the demon finally coughed out an answer.

"Yes...he is here...I've been tracking him waiting for a chance to attack then I sensed your demonic energy."

"And you thought I was allied with him."

He took the scowl he received as a yes. He hummed thoughtfully and glanced toward the playground equipment. Tsuna was still playing happily, unaware of what was going on.

If this Yatsude character was in town…

 _(His mind flashed to the missing people.)_

He narrowed his eyes and slowly released the other demon.

"Well, if he is in town then we have a common enemy." He stepped back, still tense for another attack. "What's your name?"

The demon lowered his sword just as warily and reached up to rub at the sluggishly bleeding pinpricks circling his neck.

"Hiei." He grunted.

Kurama nodded. He had heard of him as well. "As you've already guessed, my name is Kurama. What can you tell me about Yatsude? I know very little, but perhaps we can work together…"

"I work alone." The demon snapped and disappeared as suddenly as he came.

Kurama tilted his head. "Well, that was rude and here I thought we were starting to get along."

"Nii-san?" Tsuna was a few feet away, his head tilted to the side. "Who were you talking to?"

He smiled at the boys. "Just the wind Tsuna. Don't worry about it."

Kurama watched Tsuna play for a little while longer before they headed home for dinner. He answered questions and chatted with his family almost on autopilot while his thoughts remained distant. His family seemed to notice his inattention and didn't seem surprised we he retired to bed early. Instead of going to sleep; however, he sat by his window deep in thought.

From what he knew about Yatsude he wasn't the most powerful demon that could have stumbled into town. A lower level C rank who had a penchant for devouring the weak. Unfortunately for him, that's just what he was right now. Kurama leaned forward, eyes roving sightlessly over his moonlit garden as his fingers tapped thoughtfully at the window sill. He had trained more after the incident with his mother, but he wasn't sure if he could take out a C rank demon, and likely his minions, by himself.

 _(He would need to gather more information and plan very carefully.)_

His mind drifted to the other powerful demon in town.

Kurama had heard a little more about the bandit Hiei, likely because he didn't make a habit of killing weaker opponents unless they had truly wronged him. Unlike a certain eight armed demon. However, what he had heard about the demon's violence and cunning didn't do much to soothe his worry.

 _(Very little could soothe his worry with an A rank demon in his town, close to his family.)_

He paused and his fingers stilled.

A rank.

The demon Kurama had threatened with his rose whip today, did not feel like an A rank demon. Kurama knew all too well what that power felt like. Not only that, but the barrier would have prevented him from moving between the demon and human realm.

No...the demon he met today was no an A rank demon. Which meant one of three things, either his informants were wrong or lying, the demon he met today wasn't the true Hiei, or something happened to the demon.

 _(There were several missing pieces to this puzzle and he was not very fond of not having the answers.)_

However, there was little he could do to get the answers he wanted immediately.

"Nii-san?"

Kurama sighed. "Come in Tsuna. What's the matter?"

His opened the door slowly and shuffled awkwardly in the doorway for a moment.

"Mom started coughing again and went to bed early. She looked really pale."

Kurama nodded thoughtfully. "She may have caught a small illness. I'm sure some rest and cough medicine will help."

"Hm." Tsuna nodded, but he didn't move out of the doorway.

"Was there something else?" Kurama glanced over the nervous boy.

"Um," He paused. "You just seemed worried over something. I thought, maybe, you could tell me and, um, maybe you'd worry less?"

Kurama turned to fully face his brother, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "Why do you think I'd worry less?"

Tsuna chewed on his lips briefly before answer. "Well...I always feel better when I talk to you about my worries."

"Is that so?" Kurama chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't worry too much about my worrying Tsuna. I'm just trying to solve a puzzle, but I'll figure it out."

"Alone?" Tsuna asked.

Kurama blinked. "Excuse me?"

Tsuna blinked as well as if he was even confused over his sudden question.

"Ah, well, um." He ducked his head and shuffled his feet. "Nevermind. Um, forget I said anything. Good luck with your puzzle!"

With that said, the boy stumbled out of the room without a glance back.

"Ah…" Kurama shook his head as he turned back to the window.

His little brother was strange sometimes. Another puzzle he was still trying to piece together.

 _(That presence…)_

Kurama tensed and jumped away from the window, with a flick of his wrist a blade of grass turned into a sword. However, the demon did not hurl his way through the glass to attack as Kurama half expected. Instead, he opened the window gently and eased his way into the room, his red eyes darting about before landing on Kurama.

"I didn't come here to…" Hiei cursed softly as he stumbled.

Blood splashed across the floor.

The demon sway once, twice, then crumpled to the ground leaving Kurama standing there awkwardly with sword still in hand.

"Ah, that's going to be hard to clean out of the carpet."

Despite his confusion, he wasted no time dragging the demon onto his bed and removing his shirt and jacket to assess his injury. The claw marks extended from Hiei's right shoulder to his left hip. However, it wasn't the length of them that worried Kurama. No, they were deep.

"I'm surprised you made it here." He said softly as he tended to the wounds with his meager supplies of demon realm remedies.

He was also surprised the demon knew where he lived. Surprised and concerned.

 _(If Hiei knew...then perhaps Yatsude knew as well. If so…)_

Kurama scowled and extended his senses as he dabbed at the remained blood with an old towel. Nothing.

 _(Yet.)_

While he hadn't sensed anything outside his home, he found himself eyeing the demon thoughtfully. Was that? He wiped off his own bloodied hands and reached slowly for the headband on the demon's forehead.

A Jagan Eye blinks lazily up at him, pupil cloudy and unfocused. The shape and color didn't match the demon's other two eyes and as he looked closer he noticed that the skin around it was still tinged the light pink of a slowly healing incision. He replaced the cloth and leaned back with a sigh.

 _(He supposed that explain how the demon found this place...and perhaps why he wasn't the rank Kurama had expected. A procedure like that would undoubtedly cause side effects.)_

"Yukina."

He blinked and glanced down at his unexpected patient, expecting him to be stirring. He wasn't. He was still fast asleep. Though his dreams didn't appear to be pleasant. The demon's face was twisted in both pain and sorrow.

 _(Like Tsuna when he had a nightmare.)_

Kurama shook his head and got to his feet. He hesitated for a moment before picking up a small tin from his desk. With practiced hands, he plucked a small amount of the contents and sprinkled the dust over the demon's face.

At once all signs of distress faded and his breaths evened out into a steady rhythm.

"If you led Yatsude to my home, I swear I will kill you." He murmured as he settled down on the opposite wall from his bed to keep watch for the night. "But, for now. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

The night passed quickly without any more unexpected visitors.

"Tsu-kun, Shu-kun! It's time to get up for school!" His mother called up the stairs.

"Yes, mother!" He called back as he began to dress.

School was an annoyance at the best of times, but it was even worse today. Kurama leaned his chin on his hand and stared vacantly out the window as the teacher droned on about something or another. He tapped his other hand on the desk silently.

 _(As much as he wanted to find Yatsude's hideout and drive the demon far away from his home, he knew he had to be careful.)_

He closed his eyes briefly when he felt the presence he was waiting for enter the school grounds.

"Sensei?" He raised his hand abruptly.

"Ah, yes, Sawada?" The teacher brought off his lecture and blinked at Kurama in surprise.

"May I use the restroom?"

"Of course." The teacher smiled slightly and gesture for him to be on his way before he continued his lecture.

Kurama slipped out of the room, ignoring the sharp glare burning into his shoulder blades.

 _(Hibari seemed to be in a terrible mood today. He best watch his step and keep his head down.)_

He walked to the roof, his steps measured and calm to avoid any unwanted attention. No one stopped him.

"I'm glad you got my note." He greeted as soon as he stepped out onto the rooftop.

Hiei didn't reply from his spot on top of the fence. Kurama didn't say anything more for a moment as he observed the other demon. With his shirt and jacket back on, cleaned and mended by Kurama the night before, it was difficult to tell that the demon had been so injured last night.

Kurama walked closer and leaned his back against the fence.

"How are your wounds?" He asked softly. "They were pretty severe, but the remedy I used should have sealed the wound. If not I can give you some more."

"You better not expect my thanks."

Kurama tilted his head down to hid a smirk.

"Of course not."

"Hmph."

They remained silent for a moment before the other demon broke the silence.

"You left me alone...with that human. I had assumed that you cared about your human family from the way you acted around the child." The demon glanced at him. "Was I wrong?"

Kurama smiled at him pleasantly. "If you had raised a hand to her, then the demonic seeds I planted in your bloodstream would have activated and eaten you from the inside out."

Red eyes widened, and the demon's face went a few shades paler.

"Hmph." Hiei turned his head away with a scowl. "Perhaps I should have expected that from the great Yoko Kurama."

Kurama laughed softly under his breath. "Perhaps. However, if you could not call me by that name in public, I would appreciate it. I do not wish to attract attention to my current...situation."

"Alright fox," Kurama felt his eyebrow twitched. "However, while we're on the subject how did you come to find yourself in a human body and...caring for them?"

"Who is this Yukina and why did you undergo a procedure to get a Jagan eye?" Kurama replied.

He got a nasty glare in response. Kurama smiled blandly.

"Equivalent exchange. Don't ask questions if you are unwilling and answer mine."

"Tch."

"In any case, we have more pressing matters than a few personal questions. I take it you confronted Yatsude last night? Did you win?"

The demon growled lowly and muttered through gritted teeth. "No."

Kurama nodded. "I thought not. Well, since you're healed do you have a plan of attack?"

"Who needs a plan." Hiei folded his arms across his chest. "Now that I'm healed I'll go back and finish the job."

"And get injured again and crawl back to my house to bleed on my floor some more," Kurama replied dryly. "If you shed another drop of blood on my carpet I'll charge you for the cleaning cost."

"At least I'll be doing something!" The demon snapped, his eyes flashing furiously. "While you just sit and plan like a coward as more and more of your precious humans are devoured."

"Herbivore, I will bite you to death for skipping class."

Both their heads snapped to the door they hadn't heard open. Kurama bit back a scowl.

 _(So much for laying low.)_

He glanced to his side.

 _(Well at least Hiei managed to dash away before this bloodthirsty human decided to pick a fight with him. Kurama did not want to deal with that.)_

Kurama took his punishment without complaint and watched as Hibari strutted away once the deed was done. Kurama stood with little trouble after the boy left. Not even bruised from the encounter. He had a lot of potential but his overconfidence and ego made him blind.

He spent the rest of the school day lost in thought. Thinking. Planning. Worrying.

He had planned to ask Hiei where Yatsude was hiding out. Perhaps he could observe the place and plant some traps.

"Sawada-san?" He glanced at his nervous classmate. "Um, school is over, are you going home now? M-maybe we could walk home toge-"

"I apologize I lost track of time." Kurama cut her off. "I'll be going now."

He pretended not to see the girls disappointed expression as he walked out of school to retrieve his brother from the elementary school. Kurama was distantly aware of his popularity among the females of Namimori middle, but it was something he tried valiantly to ignore.

Tsuna greeted him promptly at the gates of his school. "You look tired."

"Hm, I had a...restless night," Kurama replied.

 _(Taking care of an injured demon, then having to clean up after him all while waiting tensely for a possible surprise attack. Restless hardly covered it.)_

"Oh ok." Tsuna's hand slipped into his own. "You can take a nap when we get home. I'll tell mama to make you some calming tea."

Kurama chuckled. "Thank you, Tsuna. A nap does sound nice."

They were about to enter the house when Kurama caught felt a familiar presence. He paused making Tsuna glance at him, before smoothly opening the door.

"You know it rude to enter a person's room without permission," Kurama spoke as soon as he closed his bedroom door a tray of tea and crackers in one hand.

Hiei didn't even glance away from his scrutinizing of the succulent and cactus pots sitting on Kurama's desk. Kurama raised an eyebrow at the scratch marks on the demon's hands.

 _(The demon really was quick. His defenses were designed to devour the hands of the unfortunate fools who got a little too curious.)_

"It's even ruder to try and go through a person's things in said room."

"You have a… volatile defense system." The demon admitted grudgingly.

"Of course," Kurama replied mildly. "Now I don't imagine you came here to chat. Did you re-think rushing head first into another losing battle?"

"Tch." The demon turned his head away sharply. "Do you have a plan? Or are you still hesitating?"

"If by hesitating, you mean working through the possible outcomes…"

"No, I mean hesitating."

"I'm being careful…."

"Coward."

Kurama frowned and set the trey down on his desk. "Well, I suppose we're at an impasse here."

The demon grunted and marched over to the window. He didn't leave; however, simply stared silently as the evening light cast a golden glow over the scenery. Kurama sighed.

"Perhaps a compromise is in order."

Red eyes turned to him and Kurama continued calmly.

"Show me where he is hiding and we can work out a strategy for defeating him…"

"I won't waste another day Fox…"

"...and then attack tonight."

The demon narrowed his eyes before nodding once.

"Alright, let me grab some supplies then."

Kurama turned to his drawers and dug out some demonic plants he thought might be useful. He'd prefer to have a better idea about the layout and opponents and be able to pick his weapons accordingly, but he also knew they'd have a better chance at winning if they worked together.

 _(Hiei had a point. Kurama was hesitating. He had grown accustomed to his quiet life with the Sawada's. Nothing unexpected happened.)_

Kurama paused.

 _(His blood was singing with anticipation.)_

"Well, are you done? Let's go."

Kurama chuckled. "Yes...you're right we should go."

Hiei led him to an abandoned amusement park outside of town.

"My mother took my brother and I here when we were younger." Kurama glanced around in the rapidly growing darkness of the evening. "I didn't realize it had closed."

The demon turned tilted his head to the side and gave Kurama an unreadable look. Kurama raised his eyebrow in response, but Hiei merely shook his head and darted off. Kurama followed him, keeping an eye out for hostile demons. The demon finally stopped and crouch down on a tree branch.

"He's been hiding in that building." He pointed the large building across from them. "I don't see him though. He must be out hunting."

Kurama eyed the building, remembering vaguely that it contained a theater. "Alright, how many allies does he have."

"None, now."

He nodded. "Then perhaps we can set up an ambush for when he returns…"

Kurama trailed off and both their heads snapped to the entrance of the amusement park where Yatsude had appeared. Two children in hand.

Two very familiar children.

"Tsuna." Kurama breathed, his body automatically moving.

 _(No. No. Why was he here? He should be safe at home. Protected by Kurama's carefully planned defenses.)_

A hand yanked him back, restraining him from leaping to his brother rescue. Kurama's whip around, his eyes narrowed in a glare and a silent snarl on his lips. The other demon's express didn't change, his red eyes firm.

"You are the one insisting on a plan. Two silly little humans shouldn't change that."

"One of those 'silly humans' is my brother." Kurama spat. "I won't let that monster eat him."

Hiei blinked slowly. "Then don't."

 _(He knew that he could break the demon's hold on him. If he truly wanted to he could dive at Yatsude and Hiei wouldn't be able to stop him. Yet…)_

He sucked in a sharp breathe and nodded.

"Alright, I have an idea."

Tsuna was crying.

He could hear the stifled sobs as he walked down the hallway. He clenched his teeth but didn't rush forward like he desperately wanted too. Instead, he walked calmly towards the door to the theater room, allowing his movement to carry the noise of his arrival.

Kurama opened the door with little flare and glanced around the room in disinterest.

"Shuichi-nii!" Tsuna was pinned to the floor by one hand. Cuts and bruises marred the skin of his face and arms but didn't seem seriously hurt. "I'm sorry. I was worried when I saw you left and I followed you...I…"

The boy broke off into a sob.

Kurama allowed his eyes to drift away from the boy, his face carefully blank. He cast a glance to the other boy, held aloft by another hand. Suspended right above Yatsude's open mouth. The other boy looked worse for wear, though Kurama wasn't surprised by that. Hibari was a fighter.

Yatsude, for his part, paused his meal at the audacity of Kurama's entrance.

"I had heard that there was another powerful demon in my town."

Yatsude moved Hibari away as his lips curved into an bemused grin.

"And who might you be?"

"Yoko Kurama."

The laughter was expected.

 _(It was understandable even, but it still prickled his pride.)_

"You?" The demon cackled with glee and tossed his captives away so that he could lean down and peer at Kurama's face. He forced himself not to look where his brother was tossed. Forced himself to ignore the cry of fear that was abruptly cut off. "I can sense demonic energy on ya, but there's no way you're Yoko Kurama. You're too weak!"

Hiei appeared behind the demon in a flash, sword raised.

Yatsude didn't even look behind him as he swiped the smaller demon out of the air and threw him through a wall. Kurama held back a wince and tensed as the demon refocused his attention on him.

"It seems you have a pest problem." Kurama continued conversationally. He stepped lightly to the left and continued around the demon with slow, even steps. He kept his movements loose and unassuming. "I had the same issue when I first claimed my territory. All the little nuisances via for power."

Yatsude followed his movements, arms moving restlessly as if he wanted to wring Kurama's neck, but was holding himself back. He was curious. That was good.

"I still don't believe ya." The demon chuckled.

"That's understandable. I hid my power well." Kurama smiled coldly. "I was hunted by the Special Defense Forces, you know. They thought they killed me. I took great pains to make sure they were never dissuaded of that notion."

"You use a lot of big words." The demon muttered, his perpetual smile dropping slightly.

Kurama hummed lowly. "Only as a distraction."

Yatsude only a split second to process those words before the vines sprouted at his feet wrapping around his arms and pinning him in place.

 _(It was too easy. The demon hadn't even noticed Kurama dropping the seeds as he circled him.)_

Kurama shook his head. "He's all yours Hiei."

The red-eyed demon's step out of the rumble of the ruined wall he was thrown through with a scowl on his face.

"I do not like this plan."

"We wouldn't have had to use it if you had succeeded in cutting his head off the first time."

Hiei sneered but turned back to Yatsude.

"Did you eat an Ice Apparition?"

Kurama glanced at the short demon sharply, his curiosity sparked, but didn't say a word. He only directed his vines to tighten when Yatsude cursed in response instead of answering.

"If I did I would have torn you fucking shits to death by now," Yatsude growled struggling against the vines even as they bit into his skin drawing lines of blood. "I still will though. I'll rip you pathetic bastards to pieces, then, then, I'll eat those humans too. I'll eat 'em slowly. Make 'em scream prettily. They aren't females, but they're young enough to taste swee-"

Kurama didn't let him finish.

He felt a sneer cross his lips as blood splattered across him.

 _(This was why he liked his whip better. He could kill at a greater distance than a sword would allow preventing the mess he would now have to wash out of his hair and clothes.)_

"Hmph." Hiei rolled his eyes. "This wasn't even a fight."

Kurama surprised even himself with his own laughter. the red-eyed demons glanced at him, startled by the sound. He ran his hand through his blood dampened hair and sighed.

"No, it really wasn't, was it?"

 _(It was disappointing.)_

Hiei didn't respond, simpled eyed him silently. His expression unreadable for a moment, before it cleared in some form of understanding. Kurama wondered vaguely what the demon thought he knew about him, but didn't push the issue by asking.

 _(The humming in his blood, the excitement for a fight, had faded leaving him tired and annoyed. AS much as he feared his families injury or death, he couldn't help his nature as a demon. He longed for a fight. A true battle of both power and wits.)_

"Well, regardless you have to get your brat home." Hiei's bland tone cut through his thoughts and Kurama shook the disappointment off.

 _(This was his choice. He had the chance to leave, but he didn't. It was foolish to regret such things now.)_

"Yes," Kurama straightened and wiped the blood on his hands onto his pants.

Tsuna was sleeping quietly where Hiei had placed him, after catching both him and Hibari when Yatsude had tossed them aside. His brother was only slightly bruised from his horrifying encounter. Kurama watched him for a moment, taking in the peaceful expression before he carefully picked the boy up and set a brisk pace out of the dilapidated building.

 _(The fact that Hibari was nowhere to be seen didn't surprise Kurama much. The boy was resilient if nothing else.)_

Hiei walked with him silently as they slowly made their way back to civilization. Both of them lost in their own thoughts.

It was only when they were nearing Kurama's home that Hiei spoke.

"Pollen of the Flower of Forgetfulness?"

"It's for the best." Kurama murmured. "It was a traumatizing experience for Tsuna."

"Keeps your identity hidden as well." Red eyes glanced at the boy passed out on Kurama's back. He saw a faint glow from beneath the cloth. "Though there is no telling for how long. His spiritual awareness has been activated. No amount of pollen will reverse that. Not to mention the other brat slipped away. I can still catch him, you know."

Kurama sighed. "No, thank you, I'll figure it out."

"Hm."

He smiled blandly at the doubt in the other demon's tone. Up ahead Kurama could see his house come into view. He was mildly surprised that Hiei had followed him this far. He had assumed he'd be gone as soon as the fight was over.

Kurama glanced at the other demon.

 _(He was a surprising good ally.)_

"Why don't you come over for dinner sometime?"

"Not a chance."

Kurama laughed as the demon darted off into the night.

 _(Somehow, he knew he'd be back.)_

 _(And that thought made his blood sing with excitement.)_

* * *

 **Ok, that took a little longer than expected. I was struggling hardcore with the fight scene. I had a hard time trying to puzzle through how I wanted the fight to go without it being a rehash of canon. It ended up, not being much of a fight in the end. lol. Kurama is too clever for his own good.**

 **So, yeah, I ended up making quite a few changes compared to the original manga/anime ova. Some of it was just to fit with previous drabbles for this fic, but also I adore writing Kurama and Hiei conversations, so I included more of those. Their banter gives me life.**

 **BTW, if you haven't seen the new ova yet, I highly recommend it. It's what inspired me to finally start working on this chapter again (and to rewatch the yyh series. lol).**


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